Attendance Line Number - 490-3062

October 10, 2003

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Shepardson's Home Page:
http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/

	PRINCIPAL REFLECTIONS		SHEPARDSON ELEMENTARY 2003 - 2004 ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FALL SESSION REGISTRATION
	CALENDAR		SIT UPDATE
	WELCOME, THERESA KONOPCZYNSKI!		PTO CORNER
	RED RIBBON WEEK IS OCTOBER 23RD - OCTOBER 29TH		RECYCLING AT SHEPARDSON
	ODYSSEY OF THE MIND 2003-2004		How to Contact SIT / PTO / VIPS
	DRIVERS ARE REMINDED ABOUT BUS SAFETY LAWS AT RALLY

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This week I truly experienced the old cliché... "It takes a village to raise a child." As some of our students bravely handled a major bus accident, I watched the community and neighbors reach out to help our children be comforted and feel safe until we arrived at the scene. The emergency crews and the district's crisis personnel were ready to assist in ways we hadn't yet imagined. Having all of the students and their beloved bus driver return home with minor bruises and aches was truly a blessing. Even the young driver escaped with a few broken bones. I believe this was a miracle! I will remember this event as one in which the community embraced its children!

So are buses safe? YES! From what little I know, the speed of the car should have made more of an impact on the bus and the lives of its passengers than what happened. If it had hit a car at this speed, lives would be lost. Buses are built with such incredible reinforcements to withstand such impacts, even from semis! The interior where children sit had no damage whatsoever. The padded cushions are designed for maximum safety, unlike the seats and dashboards in a car. Their safety is also a credit to these children for being seated and not standing. They were amazing children to face their fears and trust the adults who were there to help. I am so proud of each one of them.

It is also a good time to remind parents to PLEASE KEEP YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBERS UPDATED AT SCHOOL. I can't thank you enough for keeping us informed of changes and letting us know if you are going to be gone. Not being able to reach parents in an emergency is always one of our "worst fears." Fortunately, such events are rare occasions but ones we remember.

This week the PTO honored our classified employees at Shepardson with a gourmet home-cooked breakfast! What a treat for an incredible team, each of whom cares deeply about your children and the role they play here. Their dedication and work ethic are extraordinary, especially for the meager salary, often without benefits, they receive. They are truly some of our heroes at Shepardson. Please join me in thanking them. (They love little notes.)

We met several of our new families this week at a PTO sponsored event. We enjoyed getting to know you better, welcoming you to Shepardson, and answering your questions. I'm sure many of you will become active players and parent leaders here and for that we are so thankful. Welcome to our family!

Hug your children often this weekend!

-	Mary Kay Sommers
	email: msommers@psd.k12.co.us

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OCTOBER 2003			OCTOBER 2003
Wed-Thurs	Oct. 15-16	Fall Enrichment Registration	Thurs	Oct. 23	SIT 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Thurs	Oct. 16	OM Meeting 7:00 p.m.		Oct. 23-29	Red Ribbon Week
Fri	Oct. 17	Shepardson Directory Forms Due Today	Fri	Oct. 24	Wear Red Day
Mon	Oct. 20	NO SCHOOL- FALL INTERMISSION	Tues	Oct. 28	Sixth Grade Music Program 6:30 p.m.
Tues	Oct. 21	Family Art Night 6:30 - 7:30 pm	Thurs-Fri	Oct. 30-31	NO SCHOOL - (in lieu of conferences previously held)

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Fifth grade teacher Mrs. Pamela Wyman has taken a leave of absence and plans to return after Spring Break at the earliest. In her absence, we are so pleased to have Ms. Konopczynski join our team and serve our children and their parents. Theresa has been teaching 5th and 6th grades and 8th grade Language Arts in Las Vegas where class sizes are often 35 students. She received her B.S. Degree from State University of NY College at Buffalo in Elementary Education and English. She has had multiple trainings in areas of writing, science and a math program similar to our new adoption. Her teaching experiences have included creating multi-disciplinary units that are focused on standards, using differentiation strategies for high achieving learners, and working with students who are second language learners and those who have disabilities. Her attention to detail and record keeping has expanded her ability to determine, plan, and instruct for the varied needs of her students. Her dedication and expertise have led her to serving in leadership roles in her schools. She is highly valued as a teacher, colleague and advocate for children. Please help us welcome her to Shepardson and to Colorado!

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This year Shepardson will celebrate Red Ribbon Week from Thursday October 23rd until Wednesday October 29th. This is the week each year that schools across our nation celebrate being drug free. Andrew Williams, our student council vice-president, is the head of the Red Ribbon Committee. He and his committee have planned a number of activities to help us celebrate. On October 23rd each student will receive a red ribbon to wear every day during the week. It's important to remember to wear the red ribbon every day. Not only is it a symbolic reminder to be true to our commitment of being drug free, but also the Red Ribbon Committee members will be randomly visiting classrooms to distribute prizes to any student wearing a ribbon that day. We will have a "Wear Red Day" as one of our first school spirit days; they will be making a presentation that will be shown on Star News; and they have planned a coloring contest for students in K, 1st and 2nd grades, a poster contest for students in 3rd and 4th grade, and an essay contest for students in 5th and 6th grade. There will be prizes for the top three winners in each contest. There will also be red ribbons on all of the bigger trees out in front of the school as a reminder for all of the Shepardson community.

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Odyssey of the Mind was "founded on the belief that the mind, like the body, can be trained through practice and exercise to reach its fullest potential." Through this PTO sponsored extracurricular program, students join teams of 5 to 7 members (up to 10 for those in kindergarten through second grade) and learn creative techniques and team skills to solve given problems.

This week in their classrooms, students were introduced to the program and this year's problems. On Thursday, October 16th, at 7 pm in the Media Center, there will be a meeting for parents and students to further explain the Odyssey of the Mind program. There will be an opportunity for students to sign up to be on this year's teams. In order for the program to stay low cost - the only cost is an optional t-shirt for $5 - we depend on parent support, to be coaches, and volunteers and judges for the day of the tournament. This year's tournament will be on April 3rd at Rocky Mountain High School.

Please join us on October 16th in the Media Center to see old team members, meet new ones, and learn more about the Odyssey of the Mind program, as well as a brief discussion of this year's problems. You may also contact Nancy McConnell (207-1788 or NancyMcConnell@comcast.net) for more information.

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The PSD Transportation Department will be holding a public rally, 10:00 a.m. - noon. Saturday, October 18, Sears parking lot, Foothills Mall. More than 20 buses will convoy to the rally traveling southbound on College Ave, from LaPorte Ave. to Foothills Parkway. Adults and children are encouraged to attend.

Speakers and giveaways will all be part of the rally drawing attention to the law requiring drivers to stop both when approaching and following a school bus with red flashing lights. PSD buses also extend a "Stop Arm" from the driver's side of the bus in conjunction with the red flashing lights. Violations of this law are being reported to local law enforcement; if caught, drivers can be ticketed, lose points, and be assessed fines.

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Wednesday, October 15 And Thursday, October 16
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Media Center

A flyer with complete registration information and class descriptions is attached to this week's newsletter. Be sure to look for it! If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Becky Woodcox, Enrichment Coordinator, at 226-6370 or bwoodcox@psd.k12.co.us

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September 25, 2003 saw the first SIT meeting for the 2003/2004 school year. Meetings are held in the Computer/Media Lab on the third Thursday of the month from 4-6 pm. This past meeting, a large portion of time was spent reviewing the new federal law regarding proficiency for all students in every public school by the year 2014 and the measures to track progress of each school in meeting that goal, as well as the sanctions involved should a school fail to meet those progress goals. The requirements of the law as currently written may result in state and private control of the public schools and cause a huge financial stress upon an already stressed system. Parents are urged to review the law and its requirements and contact our representatives in the US Congress in order to make amendments to the law or at minimum to urge federal regulations that are more workable.

It was announced that Mary Kay Sommers has been appointed to the Board of Directors to the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The Budget Committee was formed and includes Cathy Hager and Debbie Bostak as the SIT parent representatives, the PTO president and treasurer, the Office Manager, the Administrative Asst, the Media Specialist and Mary Kay. They will meet this month and present a proposed budget to SIT at the next meeting occurring October 23, 2003. School enrollment numbers were also presented. There are 478 students enrolled and all classes contain less than 26 students.

A quick thank you to parents: Parent attendance at conferences was 99% and 90% at the school's Open House!!!

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Did you know that during the 2002-03 school year, the Poudre School District recycled enough paper to save 2,142 trees? And did you know that the production of a ton of paper requires 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, not to mention the added pollutants put into the air? Shepardson actually received an honorary mention and plaque for our recycling efforts last year. We were third in paper recycling among all of the elementary schools in our district. Although we were pleased to be honored, we do not have a very organized system of paper recycling here at Shepardson, and we are convinced that with a bit of effort we could easily improve our results.

A committee of interested 5th and 6th grade students has been assembled. Ian Ingraham is the committee head and we are getting ourselves organized to begin a revitalized paper recycling system with the possibility of expanding into aluminum and plastic beverage containers a little later in the school year. "I am surprised when I think about how much we waste," commented Ian. "Hopefully our new system will be up and running during the month of October."

For your information and paper recycling efforts at home, you might be interested to know that Larimer County recently made an exciting announcement that gives a boost to local recycling efforts. Effective July 1, 2003, the county's recycling facility began accepting magazines, catalogs and junk mail mixed with newspapers collected from curbsides and drop-off programs throughout the county. Prior to this "Newspaper Plus" program, magazines, catalogs and junk mail were not picked up curbside. A recent study done by the Larimer County Landfill found that 44 percent of the residential trash buried there is paper. This new program should help dramatically.

If you have questions about the recycling program at Shepardson, please contact Rea Kreider, Counselor, at 226-6370.

Recycle Team: Ian Ingram, Andrew Nelson, Aaron Lucero, Katie Stout, Danielle Cole, Peter Joeris, Kimeon Young, Danny Heiserman

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